In the production or growing of corn that will be marketed and used as seed corn, it is necessary to remove the tassels from the rows of corn when they first sprout or appear on the stalks. For purposes of desired pollinization of the corn, the removal normally occurs in a plurality of rows and the tassels are not removed from selected single rows. The complete removal of the tassels in the respective rows is most important because inadvertent leaving of tassels will result in poor quality seed corn in the nearby stalks. This reduces the overall quality of the seeds.
In detasseling, it is also desirable to do the minimum damage to the stalks and the leaves on the stalks. The reason is that the yield of corn on the stalks that are being detasseled is greatly reduced if the upper stalk and its leaves are removed or damaged. For example, it has been determined that in some varieties of seed corn the breaking or removal of the uppermost leaf of a stalk will reduce the yield by 6%. Removing or breaking the next upper leaf may reduce the yield by another 12%, and the removal or breakage of the next upper leaf may reduce the yield by another 18%. Thus, damaging the upper portion of the stalk and its leaves may reduce yields by one-third.
The preferred method of detasseling is by hand. This is done by a person walking or being carried on a machine so as to advance over a field between the rows of corn and manually reaching and pulling the respective tassels from each stalk. The advantage of such a method is that it is very accurate with respect to totally removing all the tassels. It also results in very little damage to the remaining stalk and particularly the leaves on the stalks. The disadvantage of such system lies in the cost of labor that is required.
Mechanical detasselers are also used in removing tassels. These consist of units for respective rows of corn that are mounted on vehicles to move over the rows of corn generally at the heights of the tassels. The detasseling units themselves may take various forms. One form consists of structure that guides the respective stalks into and between a pair of cooperating rolls that grasp and pull the tassels from the stalks. This form of detasseling gives the advantage of lower labor costs but has the disadvantage of accuracy with respect to the removal of all tassels. It must, in most instances, be followed up by manual detasseling so as to remove the remaining tassels. Also, damage is often done to the leaves on the stalks and particularly the upper leaves, all of which reduces the yields of the corn then being grown.
Another form of mechanical detasseler is through the use of cutters that cut off the upper portions of the stalks, including the tassels, as the tractor or vehicle advances. This offers the advantage of minimal labor costs. However, much harm or damage is done to the upper portions of the stalks and particularly the upper leaves which reduces the yields of the corn on the stalk.